Author: hpstrangeloveRecipient: annephoenixTitle: The MI6 Agent and the Scorpia AssassinCharacters/Pairing(s): Yassen/AlexSummary: Scorpia has agreed to let Alex live. In return, Alex has promised to not work for MI6.Two years after making the promise, Alex is now caught breaking it.Rating: NC-17Warning(s): Dub-con, bondage, possible underage sex (Alex’s age is never mentioned so it’s up to the reader to decide).Word Count: 5,615Author's Notes: I hope this is explicit enough. I managed to get the handcuffs in, but it’s somewhat mild as far as kink goes. The plot kept getting in the way.

Disclaimer: All Alex Rider characters herein are the property of Anthony Horowitz and the Penguin Group. No copyright infringement is intended.

The MI6 Agent and the Scorpia Assassin

“Alex, there’s someone on the phone for you.”

Mrs. Pleasure came into the family room where Alex and Sabina had just started watching the X-Files movie on DVD. Alex enjoyed the X-Files, with its conspiracy theories and aliens – it made his work for MI6 seem almost normal in comparison.

“Hello?” Alex said. He’d been expecting it to be Jack. She’d said she’d call him to confirm the dates and times he’d be traveling back to London. He was visiting Sabina in San Francisco for the winter holidays. Jack had taken the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to visit her parents, but she wanted to be sure she returned to London before Alex so that he wouldn’t be staying in the house alone.

“Alex, this is Mrs. Jones. How are you? Are you having a nice visit with Sabina?”

Alex felt his grip tighten on the phone. He stood up and walked into the hallway so that Sabina and her mum wouldn’t overhear the conversation.

“How did you know I was here? Are you spying on me? I’m not working for you anymore. I’ve told you that. Leave me alone.”

Two years ago, Alex had made it clear he would no longer work for MI6. Threats against Jack and him – “we can make you disappear, anytime, and it will be as if you’d never been born” – couldn’t get him to change his mind. He’d received a threat of a different kind, one more serious than any Alan Blunt could make.

He’d called their bluff and Blunt had relented, leaving him to live his life free of MI6. Until now, it seemed.

“We always keep a watchful eye on you, Alex. You’re too valuable an asset. Even if you no longer go out on missions, there are still those around who would like to exact revenge for some of your past successes. Scorpia was weakened, but hasn’t disappeared. They’ve been licking their wounds, slowly building back up. They’ve been taking on smaller jobs, jobs which have been earning them back their reputation.”

“Is this about Scorpia? Am I putting Sabina and her family in danger by being here?”

“No, the Pleasures are safe. You are too, for now. I just want you to be aware of what the future holds for you with regard to Scorpia being a threat – it will be difficult for you to keep safe if you are on your own. If you come back, start working for us again, it will be easier for us to protect you.”

“Thanks, but I don’t feel the need to do that. Is that why you’re calling, because you want me to start working for you again? Because if that’s why, then you’re wasting your time.”

“Actually, I do need you to do something for us, but it isn’t dangerous. We’ve already changed your return flight home.”

“You did what?” Alex asked in disbelief. He was too shocked to even be angry.

Mrs. Jones continued, ignoring Alex’s interruption. “You’ll now be changing planes in Chicago instead of New York. We have an agent working undercover who has been able to obtain some time-sensitive information that we need here within the week. If he were to try and leave Chicago right before this – event – it would be too much of a coincidence and the people he has been working for will simply change their plans. They’re rather paranoid that way. What we need you to do is meet with him, get the information, and bring it to us.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Jones, but I can’t. If I give in on this, it will be that much more difficult for me to say no the next time you need me to do something – and you know there is always a next time. That’s what happened to me before.”

“You do want to return to Britain, don’t you, Alex?”

“So that’s your angle this time – you’ll keep me out of the country if I don’t do what you want?”

“It’s not dangerous. Just meet with him and get the data. It will be easy. His cover is a limousine driver, working for a prominent attorney. The oldest son will be returning to school after the holidays, and is scheduled to leave O’Hare tomorrow. Our agent will be dropping him off. You should have already landed and will be at the passenger drop-off area, waiting. The area is always busy, with people being dropped off and loved ones saying good-bye. Everyone’s in a rush. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting the data.”

“Fine. It doesn’t seem as if I have a choice,” Alex said. He didn’t see a way out of this one, not if he wanted to get back home tomorrow. “What is it he’s going to be giving me?”

“It will be an MP3 player. It will have music loaded, but also data – you don’t need to know what it is, it’s encrypted – but it’s very important we get it in the next few days. After that, it will be worthless.”

“How will I know your agent?”

“The lawyer’s limousine has personalized number plates – STARK 1. Just be outside the passenger drop-off area at terminal three. You can wait there and watch as the driver drops off the son and his luggage. Wait until you see the son enter the terminal before you approach. You’ll have to be quick because airport security won’t let vehicles stay there once their passengers have been dropped off. The driver will act as if he’s rearranging something in the trunk. Accidentally bump into him. He’ll let the MP3 player drop to the ground. You’ll pick it up as if you’d dropped it when you bumped him. Keep it friendly – the last thing you want is airport security getting involved.”

“Is that it?” he asked. His hand was beginning to hurt, he was holding the phone so tight.

“You’ll be at the wrong terminal. Three is for domestic flights and we had to change your carrier so that the connection times would work out. You’ll have to make your way to terminal five to get your flight to London. You should have plenty of time. Oh, and don’t worry about informing Jack about your change of plans. We’ve already told her and given her your new arrival time.”

“You think of everything, don’t you?” Alex said, making sure his irritation could be heard in his voice. “All right, then. See you when I get back.”

He resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room. It wasn’t his phone, after all. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, getting his temper under control. He refused to let Mrs. Jones and MI6 ruin his last night visiting Sabina and her family.

~*~

The flight from San Francisco to Chicago went smoothly. Alex had arrived with plenty of time to spare. Once he made the pick-up from the agent, he’d have to wait until late in the evening for his own flight to leave for London. He liked traveling light, so had brought only a paperback to read to help with the boredom of the wait. He had an MP3 player but had packed it away. He didn’t want to be seen listening to his own player, then later listening to the player he'd got from the agent. It might arouse suspicion if he was being watched. He had no idea if this drop was as simple as Mrs. Jones had made it sound. With MI6, he was rarely ever given the full story.

He was now waiting at the designated passenger drop-off area outside the entrance to terminal three. Mrs. Jones had been right about how busy it would be. An unending string of cars pulled to the curb, stopping and unloading, passengers saying tearful good-byes to loved ones they were leaving behind. It was cold, but at least it wasn’t very windy. Alex brought his hands to his mouth and blew on them to keep them warm.

There was a special lane for limousines to use, which made Alex’s job of spotting the right car easier: STARK 1.

That was him.

Alex moved closer, watching as the driver got out and went to the trunk, taking a bag out and holding it, waiting. A man of about twenty got out of the passenger side and took the bag from the driver, smiled and nodded, then entered the terminal.

Alex could see an airport security guard begin to make his way over towards the limousine, and knew he had to hurry. The driver was leaning over the trunk, moving items around inside. Alex stepped off the curb, pretended to trip, and bumped against the driver as he fell to one knee.

“Sir, are you all right?”

The driver had turned and bent down, taking Alex by the arm. In a low voice he asked, “Alex?”

Alex smiled and nodded before answering, “I’m fine. I just misjudged the height of the kerb. I wasn’t paying attention.”

As the driver helped Alex to his feet, Alex saw the MP3 player on the ground and picked it up, placing it in the pocket of his jeans. “I don’t want to forget this – it was a Christmas present from my girlfriend.”

He waited on the kerb, giving the driver a wave as the limousine pulled away and into a lane of traffic exiting the terminal area. Alex was going to have to make his way to terminal five, the terminal for international flights. He could get there by either going inside or by taking a shuttle outside. He could also walk along the sidewalk, even though it was longer, but it was a nice day and he had plenty of time.

He turned to his right and barely missed colliding with the airport security guard, the one who’d looked like he’d been about to make the limousine driver move on.

“Sorry, sir. I didn’t see you there,” Alex said with a smile. The guard wore dark sunglasses. Alex could see his own face reflected back at him in duplicate.

He started to step to the side to go around the guard, but the guard stepped with him, blocking his way. Alex stopped, giving the guard a questioning look.

“Has it been that long, little Alex, that you do not recognize me?” the guard asked.

Alex stared, taking a closer look at the guard. He wore a cap which hid his hair. The sunglasses covered his eyes, but the voice was unmistakable – “Yassen.”

Alex felt as if he’d taken a punch directly to the gut. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Yassen was the last person in the world he expected to see; if Alex was smart, he should turn and run the other way as fast and as far as possible. Instead, he stood there frozen in shock.

Yassen reached out and took Alex by the arm and began to lead him towards the carpark. It was enough to snap him out of his paralysis. He tried to pull away, but Yassen must have been anticipating it because his grip tightened painfully.

“Do not do anything stupid. If you co-operate and come with me without making a fuss, I will not have to hurt you.”

Alex was sure he knew what was coming, but he couldn’t keep his hands from shaking. He heard an audible click as he felt cold steel wrap around his wrists. He took a deep breath, trying to stem the rising panic at the realization that he was now handcuffed. No one would help him, either. If he cried out, they’d simply assume that airport security had arrested him for some reason.

“That’s better. With you, little Alex, I can take no chances. Let’s go.”

Yassen took Alex by the arm again and they walked quickly to the car, then he opened the door to the passenger seat. Alex sat, his arms uncomfortable between his back and the seat of the car. Yassen reached over and fastened the seat belt. Alex could smell a faint spicy scent coming from the man’s skin.

“See this, Alex?” Yassen asked, pointing to the end panel of the open door. He pushed a small black button forward. “This vehicle is equipped with child-proof locks. That means, even if your hands were free, you would not be able to open the door from the inside. Do not attempt to get out of the car at any time. You will only end up making me angry, and you really do not want to do that. Have I made myself clear?"

Alex licked his lips nervously, then nodded. He didn’t trust his voice to attempt speech right at the moment.

With a force that seemed excessive, Yassen gave Alex’s face two stinging taps with his open palm. “Good boy. Now we’re going for a short ride, to a place where we will have some privacy.”

Alex leaned his head back against the seat, watching as Yassen walked around the front of the car to get in on the driver’s side. They left the airport in silence. Alex tried to pay attention to their route, but there was so much traffic, so many signs, and Yassen maneuvered the car like he’d grown up in Chicago.

They didn’t stay on the highway for very long. Yassen took an exit, paid a toll. They proceeded to turn down a street lined by row upon row of industrial warehousing. The complex Yassen turned into was busy, but he stopped the car outside a building which looked deserted. The nearest occupied building was too far away for anyone to hear Alex scream for help, even if he was stupid enough to try, which he wasn’t.

Yassen turned the engine off, but remained seated in the car. Alex could still hear the sound of planes taking off and landing at O’Hare, so they couldn’t have gone that far.

“Alex, I am disappointed that we have had to meet like this. You made a promise to no longer work for MI6. When did you go back to them?”

“I didn’t. I don’t work for them –” Alex began. Quick as a snake, Yassen struck out, backhanding him hard across the left side of his face. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth, and the breath left his lungs as pain flared in his head. Before he could recover from the blow, Yassen’s fingers twined in his hair, forcing his head back and to the side, pulling him close. Alex cursed himself for showing weakness, but his eyes watered uncontrollably from the pain. His heart was racing. The angry look on Yassen’s face told him he was in deep trouble.

“Do not lie to me. You know better than that. You are the only MI6 agent who has ever gone up against me and lived. I have made an exception for you because of who you are, but do not try and play me for a fool. I will not kill you – you know that is my weakness where you are concerned. But you also know I can cause you to be in so much pain that you will beg me to take your life. So please – no more lies. Is that clear?”

Alex’s mouth had gone dry – he couldn’t speak. He gave a nod of his head, barely able to move in Yassen’s paralyzing grip.

“Good. Now that we understand each other, I think it best we continue our discussion inside.”

Yassen got out of the car and went to Alex’s side, opening the door and releasing the seatbelt so he could get out. Yassen had to help him. Alex could barely stand, his legs were so weak with – loath as he was to admit it – fear. All his training, all his experience gained on his missions – it was never enough to prepare him for the times he had to face Yassen.

The assassin unlocked a door into one of the spaces of the huge building. It had been converted into individual offices. He pushed Alex ahead of him towards an office at the back of the space. It had no exterior windows, and once they were inside, Yassen locked the door with a key. There was no way out.

This must be where Yassen was living. There was a large desk with a laptop set on top. A regular size sofa was against the wall in the corner with a pillow and some blankets.

Alex looked over the desk, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that he was searching for a paper clip or pen, something which he could use to pick the lock on the handcuffs if he got the chance. He needn’t have bothered, though, because as soon as Yassen had the office door locked, he undid the handcuffs.

Alex rubbed his wrists, trying to get the feeling back into his hands. The cuffs hadn’t cut off his circulation, but Yassen had made sure they’d been tight enough so that he couldn’t slip out of them.

Yassen put the handcuffs on top of the desk, then turned and leaned back against it, crossing his arms. He didn’t look happy. Alex waited, his stomach churning with trepidation. Yassen was scary like this.

“You can choose to do this the hard way, or you can choose to do this the easy way. Either way, the end result will be the same. You will give me the data that Mr. Jackson handed to you at the airport.”

Alex didn’t know what to say so he simply kept quiet. He felt no loyalty towards MI6. They’d repeatedly put his life in danger – this time was no different than the others. The data, whatever it was, was important enough to Scorpia that they’d sent their number one assassin to ensure its safe-keeping. And when Yassen wanted Alex to do something, he didn’t care how rough he had to be with Alex. Alex would turn over the MP3 player, eventually. Why was he hesitating? It would only make Yassen angry with him.

Yassen’s cold eyes bore into him as if he could get Alex to give up the data just by staring him down. After a long moment, Yassen sighed and pushed away from the desk.

“Fine, little Alex. Just remember – you had a choice. Anything that I do to you is because you chose for me to do it.” Yassen waited a few moments more, then said, “Take off your clothes.”

Alex’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious?”

Yassen moved directly in front of Alex. “Will you give me the data?”

Alex didn’t say anything. They were at a standoff. Yassen didn’t know the data was on the MP3 player. He’d probably figure it out soon enough, but it wouldn’t be the same as Alex just turning it over. He couldn’t do it – he just couldn’t!

Slowly, Alex removed his jacket. Yassen held out his hand for it. It took everything Alex had to keep his arm from trembling as he handed the jacket to Yassen. He went through the pockets, but all he found was the paperback Alex had been reading, with his airline ticket tucked inside, used as a bookmark. He placed the jacket and book on the desk, then turned back to Alex.

Next off was Alex’s shirt, a long-sleeved cotton jersey which made little popping and crackling sounds of static when he pulled it over his head. There were no pockets for Yassen to search. Instead, Yassen squeezed the fabric several times, apparently checking for anything that might have been hidden in the seams. Satisfied there wasn’t, he tossed it on the desk with the jacket.

Alex shivered, even though the temperature in the room was comfortable. He toed off his trainers next, then bent down and peeled off his socks, placing them inside the shoes. “Hand them to me,” Yassen instructed. Alex did, and watched as he examined the rubber soles closely. Seemingly satisfied that nothing was hidden in the shoes, Yassen placed them on the desk.

“Please, Yassen, don’t make me do this.” Alex hated himself for begging, but he couldn’t help it. He was embarrassed by what Yassen was going to see.

Yassen took him roughly by the upper arms. “Would you prefer I render you unconscious and finish undressing you while you are passed out? I know how much you enjoy that when it happens.”

Alex grimaced. “I should never have told you about that. No, I don’t want you to undress me while I’m unconscious. Just – give me a minute.”

Alex couldn’t look Yassen in the eye as he unbuttoned his jeans and pulled the zip down. He knew Yassen would make him undress completely, so before he could dwell on it, he pushed his jeans and pants down in one single motion, stepped out of them and handed the clothing to Yassen.

Alex continued to stare at the floor. It was covered in an expensive grade of industrial carpet and barely looked worn. He could feel the color rising in his cheeks. He placed his arms down at his side, his hands balled into fists, refusing to cover himself with his hands, refusing to give Yassen the satisfaction of knowing how humiliated he was – humiliated because his cock stood out in front of him, hard and erect. Damn his teen-aged hormones! And damn Yassen for having this effect on him!

Alex could hear Yassen rifling through his jeans, hear the intake of breath as the assassin found the MP3 player. He chanced a quick glance up – Yassen held the MP3 player in his hand, examining it closely. He didn’t say anything as he sat down at the desk and plugged the player into the laptop. A few mouse clicks later, he looked back at Alex and smiled.

“You did not even have it hidden. Why did you simply not give it to me when I asked?” Yassen sounded genuinely puzzled. “You had to know I would find it.” Then his expression changed, his eyes narrowing as his gaze moved down and noticed Alex’s hard cock for the first time.

“So that’s it, little Alex. You like to play the tough MI6 agent fighting the big, bad Scorpia assassin. When did you start to get aroused?”

Alex’s eyes flitted over to the handcuffs on top of the desk, then back to Yassen. He could feel his body heating in embarrassment, so looked back down at the floor. His cock became that much harder, knowing Yassen was watching him.

Alex heard the clink of metal when Yassen picked up the handcuffs, could hear the soft footfalls of Yassen’s shoes as he came to stand behind Alex. He pulled Alex’s arms behind his back and, in moments, had him again bound in the cuffs.

Then a hand was around Alex's throat, pulling him back against Yassen's chest. Alex’s hands were trapped between his arse and Yassen’s crotch, and he could feel the unmistakable hardness of the man’s cock through the fabric of his jeans.

“Is this what you want, little Alex?” Yassen whispered hotly in Alex’s ear. “Is this what turns you on? Do you like being helpless, at my mercy, your life in my hands? I could kill you in less than a second, twist your head to the side and break your young neck. Or is it the thought that I could throw you over that desk and take you sexually, against your will, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me?”

Alex knew that he wouldn’t be able to free himself from Yassen’s grip, but he couldn’t suppress his natural instinct to struggle against the hand which was around his throat.

“That’s right, little Alex. Try to fight me. It is what I like most about you, your spirit in the face of certain death – or certain rape.”

Alex stopped struggling. He was only wearing himself out, and even though he knew what was coming next, he had to at least make a pretense of not wanting it to happen. “I hate you,” he said through gritted teeth.

Alex almost came when he felt Yassen’s warm hand wrap around his cock and squeeze. “Yes, I can tell that you do,” Yassen said with a laugh before letting him go and pulling him over to the desk. He swept the clothes to the floor, then roughly pushed Alex onto his back. Standing between his parted thighs, he lifted Alex’s legs over his shoulder. Alex heard the sound of Yassen pulling down his zip, whispering words of endearment and threats as he did so. “My pretty little Alex…all mine…I will kill anyone who touches you…I will kill you if you touch anyone other than me…”

Alex felt the tip of Yassen’s cock begin to touch up against his entrance. As many times as they’d done this, he always felt a surge of panic when he felt Yassen begin to push in – it hurt like hell at first, and he couldn’t keep himself from begging. “Please! Please don’t do this. I don’t want this! Please stop!”

“Does it make you feel better, claiming you do not want it, when you so obviously do?”

Yassen’s hand went back to Alex’s cock. He began to use slow, teasing strokes, moving up and around the head, the dripping precome moistening his hand. Slowly, he pushed in past the tight, outer ring of muscle. Alex grimaced at the initial pain, but then forced himself to relax. Yassen continued, moving deeper, pushing a little at a time, until he was fully inside. “Oh God, Alex, you feel so, so tight. If I didn’t know better, I would think it was your first time.”

For a long moment, Yassen didn’t move. Finally, he said, “Tell me, Alex. Tell me what you want.”

He hated when Yassen made him say it, but if he didn’t, Yassen would pull out, leaving him like this all night, bound and helpless, unable to satisfy his need.

“Fuck me! I want you to fuck me. Please…I do want this. I’m sorry for saying I didn’t.”

Yassen didn’t take long – he never did, the first time they fucked after not seeing each other for so long. He pulled out, then pushed back in, his hand on Alex’s cock keeping the same rhythm. Alex’s breath became faster, shallower, as Yassen’s movements picked up speed. Little moans of pleasure escaped Alex’s lips. He could feel his balls starting to draw up, then with a loud cry, threw his head back, his face contorting as if in pain. White streams of come spurted onto his stomach. His arse clenched around Yassen’s cock and Yassen stiffened, groaning softly as he came too.

Yassen leaned his hands on the desk, taking a few moments to get himself back under control. Slowly, he pulled his softening cock out of Alex’s arse, then gently lifted his legs off his shoulders. He bent down and kissed Alex lightly on the lips. “Are you all right?”

Alex laughed. “More than all right. I didn’t know handcuffs could be such a turn-on. You’ve only ever used ropes before.”

Yassen helped Alex to sit up, then unlocked the handcuffs. He examined Alex’s wrists; they looked bruised but weren’t bleeding. Alex would have a hard time explaining them to Jack if she saw them. Then Yassen touched the left side of Alex’s face, making him wince – he’d completely forgotten about the bruise on his cheek. He had no idea what he was going to say to Jack about it.

“I should not have hit you so hard. But I was angry, and worried that if…” Yassen paused. Then he said, “Come, sit with me on the sofa.”

Yassen lay on his side and pulled Alex into his arms. Alex felt safe and relaxed, which was somewhat ironic considering he was lying next to one of the world’s most deadly assassins. The endorphins in his system from the orgasm made him sleepy and he dozed off for a while, but eventually Yassen broke the spell, bringing him back to reality.

“As happy as I am to see you sooner than planned, you have also put me in a tenuous position with Scorpia. You know I have assured them that you are no threat, but if they find out about this little episode, even I will not be able to keep them from coming after you again. And as a punishment to me, they almost certainly will have me be the one to kill you.”

“I didn’t want to get involved, but MI6 had already changed my flight. I didn’t think Scorpia had anything to do with it. I’m sorry. I should have known better.”

“At least I have recovered the data. Unfortunately, I am going to have to cut our little reunion short. I will need to catch up with Mr. Jackson and ensure he is unable to tell anyone about your assistance at the airport today.”

A hole opened up in the pit of Alex’s stomach. He knew Yassen killed people – his Uncle Ian had been one of them, an act which had forever changed Alex’s life. Normally, he did his best to ignore what Yassen did for a living, but now he was forced to face the cold, hard truth of it.

“Do you have to kill him?”

Yassen gave Alex a dark look. “Would you prefer that I left him alive so that when he is interrogated by Scorpia, he can tell them how he passed off the data to an MI6 agent who looked like a blond teenager? Did he know your name too? Will he be able to tell them the agent’s name was Alex Rider?”

Alex knew Yassen was right, but it didn’t make him feel any better about it. Best to not think on it. After all, the agent chose to work for MI6; Alex hadn’t.

“Can you drop me at the airport first? I still have time to catch my flight. What am I going to tell Mrs. Jones, though, when I arrive without the MP3 player? And about this?” He pointed at the bruise on his face.

“Tell her the truth. Just leave out some of the details, like the fucking.”

“She’s going to freak out when I tell her it was you who kidnapped me from the airport. And she’ll know it was you who was responsible – or will be responsible – for Jackson’s death.”

“Good. Then maybe she’ll think twice about asking you to help MI6 again. The fact that you failed to deliver the data should also diminish your usefulness in their eyes.”

“Will I still see you next month as planned?”

Alex didn’t understand why Yassen had gone out on a limb for him with Scorpia. Was it because Alex’s father had saved Yassen’s life that time in the Amazon jungle? Or was it to ease a guilty conscience perhaps, for killing Ian? After all, if Ian hadn’t died, Alex never would have fallen into the hands of MI6.

The more likely reason was that Yassen simply liked to fuck him.

Alex would never forget the terror he’d felt two years ago when he’d woken up to find Yassen in his bed, his hand over Alex’s mouth, a knife at his throat. “Scorpia is not happy with you, little Alex,” Yassen had told him. “They want you dead. And they want me to do it.” Alex’s blood had gone cold at the mention of Scorpia. He’d hoped he was through with them, but deep down, in the back of his mind, he’d known they’d come for him one day. He just hadn’t thought it would be so soon, nor that they’d send Yassen to do the job. “But I have made a deal with them. As long as you stop working for MI6, you will be allowed to live. In return for your life, you are now mine to do with as I please.”

So instead of killing him that night, Yassen had taken his virginity. It was rough, and it had hurt, and Alex had come so hard he’d blacked out.

Yassen was a demanding lover – he enjoyed inflicting pain, but always made sure the bruises and welts were in places Alex could hide. It was a small price to pay in order to stay alive. And in his own way, Yassen cared for him, he was sure of it.

“Unless Scorpia finds out about what you did today, I don’t see why not. You know it is one of their conditions for letting you live, that I check up on you every few months to ensure that you have not gone back to MI6. And now,” Yassen said, giving Alex a push off the sofa and smacking him on the arse, “I think you should go and clean yourself up. The bathroom is through that door over there.”

Alex gathered his clothes from the floor. Seeing the handcuffs on the desk, he picked them up and dangled them from his little finger.

“Bring these with you next month, too,” he said with a smile. “We can play another round of tough MI6 agent and the big, bad Scorpia assassin.”